Jul 3 How Your Body Type Can Effect Your Health

As you all may or may not know, each and every one of us have differing body types. We all fall into 3 different categories: Ectomorph, Endomorph and Mesomorph.

Courtesy of Rodale Wellness

If you're an Ectomorph, you are typically a lean, slender individual with a long torso and long legs. You tend to have difficulty building muscle.

If you're an Endomorph, you typically and naturally have a higher percentage of body fat. You are pear-shaped, meaning that you have bigger hips and thighs, and a smaller upper half.

If you're a Mesomorph (myself included), you are naturally more muscular and have a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells. This means that you easily gain muscle mass because your body naturally produces those cells at a faster rate.

Now, because we all have different body types, the way we gain weight is different as well. Mesomorphs, like myself, typically gain weight in our stomach or abdominal region first. On the other hand, Endomorphs gain weight in their hips or thighs first. This small detail about where we gain weight is very important to know. Believe it or not, the way we gain weight is descriptive of what our bodies are more susceptible to, and how extra weight can affect us all differently. People who gain weight in their abdominal region first are more susceptible to heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. This is because belly fat, also referred to as visceral fat, lies near to all your internal organs, including your heart. Naturally our body needs a little bit of visceral fat to protect our essential organs, but excessive visceral fat causes added pressure and stress to that region which can disrupt the organs, leading to multiple health issues. I've personally seen it in my own family. Genetically, my family gains weight in their abdominal region first (which is common for many ethnic groups), which explains why my family has a history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. That's one reason I'm so adamant about maintaining my body fat due to that fact alone.

Therefore it's crucial to maintain your body fat percentage especially when it concerns visceral fat. Pay attention to your body and where you gain weight, because knowing is the first step to improve your health and for prevention as well.